MORRISON, Colo. — Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre is a Colorado staple but it took a lot to make it the legendary concert venue and Instagram-able hiking spot it is today.

The amphitheatre was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp between 1936 and 1941 around the natural rock formations. And that was no easy task.

“The amphitheatre project required them to remove 25,000 cubic yards of rock and dirt and used 90,000 square feet of flagstone, ten carloads of cement, 800 tons of quarried stone, and 30,000 pounds of reinforced steel,” according to Red Rocks History.

It opened its doors to 9,525 concertgoers on June 15, 1941 with the first annual Easter Sunrise Service taking place in 1947.

But the vision for Red Rocks started in the early 1900s when John Brisben Walker wanted to have artists perform on a stage at Red Rocks. He produced a number of concerts between 1906 and 1910 on a temporary stage.

The city of Denver would soon purchase the land from Walker for $54,133 and work on the amphitheater we know today began.

Since then, its attracted some of the biggest names in music and received National Historic Landmark status in 2015, and received the honorary award on June 15, 2016 — the amphitheater’s 75th anniversary.